


Pale Bare Hands

by Keeryd



Category: Phineas and Ferb
Genre: Age Difference, Alternate Universe, Angst, Both Phineas and Ferb need help, Descent into Madness, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Evil Scientist Phineas Flynn, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Gen, Human Perry the Platypus (Phineas and Ferb), Linda Flynn and Lawrence Fletcher are dead, M/M, Married Couple, Mental Breakdown, Mental Health Issues, Mental Instability, Mild Blood, Mild Gore, Minor Character Death, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Perry and Heinz really tried to be good dads but kinda failed, Phineas and Ferb have some sibling issues, Phineas has a lot of issues, Phineas is five years older than Ferb, Physical Abuse, Psychological Trauma, Running Away, Secret Agent Ferb Fletcher, They're gonna act pretty much out of character tbh, but well this is a new whole setting for all of them, hope y'all don't mind, they have some issues
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-02-09
Updated: 2020-08-23
Packaged: 2021-02-27 18:28:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 2
Words: 3,808
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22640257
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Keeryd/pseuds/Keeryd
Summary: After years of not knowing anything about his brother, if Ferb ever hoped to see him again, he never thought it would be this way.Evil Scientist!Phineas FlynnSecret Agent!Ferb FletcherHuman!Perry
Relationships: Candace Flynn & Phineas Flynn, Ferb Fletcher & Candace Flynn, Ferb Fletcher & Phineas Flynn, Heinz Doofenshmirtz/Perry the Platypus
Comments: 13
Kudos: 58





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Well, this is an AU, I'd been writing about this for a long time, so, why not publish a fic? so here we are

"Ferb, this can't go on like this..." His brother, his greatest admiration, doesn't look at him when he starts talking. Ferb is sitting on the edge of his bed, he can see him moving around, taking things in hand, throwing things away, tearing up papers, checking documents, opening and closing drawers. Only certain things go into the open suitcase on Phineas' bed. He doesn't pack much clothing, only about three pairs of jeans and, judging by the bulges, he deduces that there are at least six shirts, managing to distinguish two sweaters, including his brother's favourite one. 

"Where are you going, Phineas?" he asks, he's ten years old, he understands that his brother is packing. It means he's going away, from the packed clothes it seems not for long. 

Or at least that's what he wants to believe.

Since a car accident that took the lives of their parents, both of them and their sister, Candace, had been left in the care of their Uncle Perry, and his husband, Heiz. 

Ferb doesn't remember much, he was barely four when it happened. His brother, being five years older, however, had not been the same since then, or at least that was what he had heard from a conversation between his uncles that had taken place in the kitchen one early morning that had already faded in his memory.

It seemed like even Candace noticed something about him that Ferb just didn't. She was no longer living with them, she had moved away to continue her studies at college.

It was just him and Phineas in the big house, them and their uncles. And it looked like it would be just him in less than he expected. 

"Far away from here" Phineas closed his suitcase when he said this, then turned to see him. It was amazing what a difference five simple years made between them. He was so tall, with his bright red hair completely disheveled, bits of hair on his face that he didn't bother to settle. Skin as pale as it could be. He had always liked his brother's hands, they seemed cold, but they were so warm that they made him feel a bit of that familiar atmosphere that he did not fully enjoy.

"Can't I come with you?" he doesn't get out of bed, he stretches out his arms and Phineas comes over to him, putting his two hands on his little brother's cheeks in an act of affection. Ferb closed his eyes to the touch, enjoying it. It was the last time he would feel it in a while, which he hoped would not be long. He is not looking at him, but he knows that Phineas is smiling just like him. 

"No buddy, this is your home," his hands move away from his cheeks, and Ferb feels cold. It's a pretty cold morning compared to others that winter. It is November, soon to be December and Candace would be coming from across the country to visit, bringing him gifts, she had promised him, "but it isn't mine. It hadn't been for a while."

Ferb was smart, he had always been able to help his brother with any invention that came into his head for as long as he could remember. By the time he was about to verbalize the idea, he had the tools in hand. They were a good duo, his brother was always friendly and affectionate with him, he had always shown him how much he mattered. He had always made him feel at home. Of course, his uncles were just as good to him, always happy to help and encourage Ferb to try new things, like learning to play instruments or giving art a chance, but it didn't come to what Phineas did for him. 

Ferb was smart, but for the first time he didn't understand something his older brother told him. He knows it's important, and he wants to verbalize his doubts, but it's too late. Phineas already has his suitcase in hand and his zippered sweater on, but he can see his typical turtleneck shirt under the orange-striped short-sleeved one, on his way to their bedroom door.

"I don't want you to go". 

"It's something I have to do, Ferb". 

" You'll come back?" the question caught him off guard. Phineas, who was about to open the door in front of him, stopped short, but like the first time, he didn't look at him. It takes him a few minutes to answer. 

And when he finally does, Ferb is relieved. 

"I will". 

After his answer, he opened the door, walked out and closed it behind him. 

Ferb remembers watching him from the window walk on the sidewalk and then disappear into the night.


	2. Promotion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Phineas never came back, but he had to keep going.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's been a few months huh? Sorry for that! I have 0 excuses I was just procrastinating ngl, anyway, enjoy!

Phineas never came back. 

And he never would. If he wasn't so optimistic even then, he'd probably think his brother was dead.

It had been hard to accept, the fact that there was simply nowhere to look, having only stopped his search for his brother a couple of years ago. But like his entire family even long before him, he ended up giving up and trying to get on with his life. 

So when Ferb opens his eyes, and the first thing he sees is the ceiling of his room softly lit by the moonlight streaming in through the openings in the glass door curtains leading to the balcony of his apartment, he only sighs. Seconds later, the fragments of that night's dreams began to flow through his mind. They were nothing more than memories from years ago, with fanciful twists worthy of the dreams that his mind kept, sometimes he wondered how many times he had dreamt of the same memory but with a different ending.

Closing his eyes for a few seconds before opening them again, he takes a deep breath and gets up, remaining seated on the bed. 

Looking at his table clock, he realized that it was less than an hour before his alarm went off, so he ended up getting out of bed completely, putting on his slippers, wiping the remains of saliva on his cheek with his hand, while with his free hand he grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table, deciding it was best to start his day, because he knew he would no longer be able to sleep. 

It was during his walk to the kitchen for breakfast that he noticed the day, stopping slightly to confirm the date on his cell phone's lock screen; by turning the screen on, he could see the reminder on his notification bar:

_" **JULY 24:** Permanent nemesis assignment/promotion. :) **"** _

Smiling slightly, he continues his way to the kitchen with tranquility, passing through a short corridor that carried three things: the front door, his studio and his destination which was the kitchen. The apartment was large and spacious, sometimes too quiet, and for the same reason he had been thinking about getting a pet for some time, maybe a puppy would be nice. 

He took a deep breath as he continued on his way, with a smile still on his face. 

While in the kitchen, Ferb set out to make himself a small breakfast consisting of starred eggs, bacon, fried sausages and toast, along with a cup of coffee. Moving around the kitchen was nothing more than simple muscle memory at that point, and well, it was to be expected given how much he spent in the kitchen, as it was one of his favorite hobbies in his free time. 

Playing music to fill the silence of the apartment in the early hours of the morning, Ferb got down to business, moving to the music and humming the lyrics freely. There was no one else in his apartment at the end of the day. Not surprising at all, really, Ferb wasn't as interested in a romantic relationship as he was as a teenager, much less with the exigencies of his job.

There was something comforting about cooking, too; especially the dishes he had found in an old forgotten recipe book in his uncles' garage in the quiet suburbs of Danville, ranging from simple omelette dishes with a few touches from his dad's wife, Linda; to complex pastry recipes that were sometimes challenging, but he always turned out to be victorious and used to end up sharing with Isabella, Buford and Baljeet when it was his turn to host game nights on Fridays. 

It also kept him busy, making him forget for a while how lonely he sometimes felt in his apartment, and like many asocial people with lots of free time after work, he had his hobbies, and so his favorite had ended up being cooking and baking. 

And with that in mind, when he finally came to his senses, his breakfast and coffee were ready and in front of him carefully arranged with elegance on his plate. Checking his cell phone, he noticed that it was still less than half an hour before his alarm went off, so he put his cell phone away, grabbed his coffee and plate and headed to the living room to entertain himself for a while and watch at least a few episodes of the series he had pending until it was time to get ready for work.

After finishing his breakfast and a long shower and fifteen minutes in front of the bathroom mirror to do the usual thing, which was brush his teeth, a little personal skin care routine, because yes, there was nothing wrong with spoiling himself a little, to finally comb his hair; Ferb went to his closet and got his suit for work.

Most of the time, Ferb picked out the first thing he saw among his neatly arranged suits, but since it was an important day in his career as a secret agent, he gave himself a few more minutes to decide, eventually choosing a black suit consisting of his black pants, a vest and a peak lapel tuxedo. 

Dressing up was fast, Ferb felt he had all the time in the world like in those days when the whole universe was on his side and he was doing great, which was often the case. Putting the finishing touches on his tie and putting on a little cologne for the occasion after tying the black ribbons on his shoes to wear the same color, he neatly put on his feodora, looking at himself one last time in the mirror. 

Smiling at the reflection in the mirror, Ferb was sure that nothing could go wrong.

Yeah, it felt like a good day. 

* * *

The ride to the undercover OWCA building as a simple office building right in the center of Danville had been lost in the sea of all other days where he arrived safely, just as his ride from the agency parking lot to the elevator to the actual offices, where one of his fellow agents had managed to get in before the metal doors closed. 

It was a few seconds before his colleague, Daniel, spoke:

"Sooooo, uh, today you're getting assigned to your new nemesis, right, Ferbs?" Daniel didn't look at him for a few moments, apparently he was too busy looking at his shoes or at the elevator floor directly, then he raised his head, directing his attention to Ferb, who just nodded in affirmation. "That's great dude, you want a few spoilers on who that is? I heard Commander Carl talking to Irving just this morning." 

That's when Ferb turns his head slightly to look at Daniel, he has a funny little smile on his face, the kind people used to gossip over during high school breaks. Daniel was from the same generation as him at the agency's academy, and one of the few people he could consider his "friend," though he was no more than a colleague, really. He had coppery hair, honey eyes, pearly skin with barely visible freckles, and a habit of talking a lot. It wasn't something that bothered him, it reminded him a little of his brother along with his smile and eyes full of smugness, even if he wasn't much like that. Maybe that was why he had allowed Daniel to come close to him that day at the academy, maybe. 

Ferb smiles at him and says, "No, Dan. I want to get into the meeting completely spoiler-free. But thanks for the offer," he replies, and Daniel just rolls his eyes in amusement. 

"Come on! Aren't you the least bit curious? A little sneak peek at what will be your new status quo tomorrow morning."

Ferb thinks about it a bit, he's actually a bit curious, but he doesn't want to spoil the surprise, so to speak. Thinking about it some more, moving his head slightly sideways as a sign of it, he sank to his shoulders "... All right, go ahead."

"Great! Well, I was walking quietly down the hall this morning, with my coffee in hand when Commander Carl passed by me with Irving, who I believe was carrying your assignment papers and all that, ya'know?" he began to explain, almost talking with his hands as well. "Then I heard them say something about how the guy was class S, you know, the kind that almost crossed the line between evil scientist and mad scientist, but that didn't surprise me so much."

"Oh?" Ferb raised an eyebrow, curious. The elevator door opens but that doesn't stop Daniel from talking as they both come out of the little compartment. 

"Oh, please Fletcher! Of course they were going to assign you to one of the big ones! You always surpassed expectations at the academy and even here. You're a great agent." he replies, looking at Ferb, with a silly smile. 

Ferb smirks, letting the compliments sink in in his little arrogance; taking Daniel by the arm, he brings him slightly closer to him so that his co-worker would avoid hitting one of the many desks in the corridor through which they passed to their own cubicles. 

Daniel doesn't let his expression pass, narrowing his eyes and gasping dramatically, clearly joking: 

"You just wanted me to praise you, didn't you?! You dickhead!" says Daniel, pointing his finger dramatically at him, laughing. Ferb laughs lightly, it's just a little breath leaving his smile-shaped mouth, and Daniel only hits his shoulder as a joke. "Be grateful that I like you, Ferbs, otherwise the blow would have been stronger," he says after his laugh dies down a little; both stop their walk a little, since their cubicles, neighbours, were close by, and then he continues: "Anyway, one more spoiler, his name starts with F, I don't remember the rest but the F is for sure. Maybe he has a villain's name like Fara or Frank Dean or Fuego. That would be really cool to be honest."

Ferb snorts, moving forward a bit to finally get to his mini office and sit in his desk chair. "Fara as Fara from Demon Knights? Frank Dean? Wasn't he from the Runaways comics? And Fuego from X-Men? Really, Daniel? Maybe he has a common name like, I don't know, Finn or Felipe."

"You're not funny, Ferbs!" he exclaimed, raising his arms in a scenic manner, sitting in his chair and propelling himself back a little with his feet and turning it in the direction of his friend. "But, I'm glad to know that at least someone did read the comics I've been recommending," he said, crossing his arms, Ferb just nods his head and decides it's time to start the paperwork from the previous mission. 

Daniel is about to say something else, Ferb knew from the way he had breathed through his mouth noisily, but had decided to shut up for some reason, so Ferb decides to look up from his desk and ask Daniel what had happened when he hears someone talking. 

"Agent F" his gaze meets Irving, Commander Carl's paid intern. "The Commander is waiting for you in the conference room. Please come with me." Ferb nods his head and gets up from his chair; Daniel smiles widely at him, Ferb can see the genuineness of his partner's joy for him as he moves with Irving already to a few cubicles in front of him.

"Hey Ferb-o, lunch is on me after your meeting!" He hears Daniel say behind him a few moments after he has passed. 

Ferb turns on himself, still walking but going backwards. "You better keep that promise unlike last time" he says, pointing accusatorily at him before turning again and looking ahead. 

"That was different and I already apologized!" Ferb heard Daniel exclaim in the distance, he just laughed and sped up his pace in a successful attempt to catch up with Irving. 

* * *

After a few minutes they were already in front of the door to the meeting room. The beige blinds easily obstructed the view inside; Ferb was not one to get nervous easily, and in this situation he had an idea of what would happen, yet the hand in his left pocket was fidgety. 

Irving opens the door and walks in with Ferb behind him. The place is barely lit up in a dim light, although the light allows him to distinguish at least five people sitting on a long, certainly tall, platform from which he had only been able to distinguish Commander Carl, Irving had positioned himself behind him, almost invisible. 

Closing the door behind him, a searchlight came on right in the centre of the room, and without a second thought Ferb moved to the centre, standing in the light of the searchlight, his left hand still in his pocket and chin slightly upwards, posing confidently and with a deadpan expression. 

Ferb had them all in his gaze, he could see them muttering to each other before they stood up one by one, introducing themselves, starting with the first one in the right corner, continuing with the one in the left corner, and so on to Commander Carl, who was standing right in the middle. 

It was all a bit dramatic for Ferb, if he had to be honest, but he understood it somehow and he enjoyed it, Ferb had a little flair for the dramatic after all. 

"Agent F, aka 'Falcon'," Ferb tilts his head slightly in response when Carl finally speaks, only to raise it again seconds later. "Since your years at the Academy you have exceeded all our expectations, breaking and setting new records, even those set by Agent P years ago." Ferb smiles slightly, knowing that his superiors would not notice, they were too far away for that, "so we have decided to give you a nemesis worthy of your abilities."

The Commander turns back, where a large projection is lit. For a few moments, the screen was black with only the OWCA logo in large orange letters. That's when, when Carl moves his hand in signal for Irving, now in the corner of the room behind his computer, to finally open the file, he does so without a second thought and then... There he is. 

_"This is Phineas Flynn, a category S evil scientist, a big threat to the society for a few years now..."_

Ferb tensed up. Seeing the photo made his heart, and somehow time to his perception, stop completely. Commander Carl kept talking and talking, but he could only hear a loud beep of how overwhelmed he felt.

Blue eyes, as deep as the unexplored sea, filled with something that he really kept trying to deny existed and was reflected there. Reddish hair, a deadly and dangerous scarlet. A smile to match the sparkle in his eyes, Ferb remembers thinking in his youth that his smile was as bright as the sun.

No more, it was a mocking smile, a vile reflection of what he was now.

Ferb didn't want to believe it, he wanted to laugh and honestly ask if it was joke, a poorly tasteful one. He had always wanted to find him, and now there he was, in a photo in front of him, being presented as his enemy from now on. 

_"—Congratulations on your promotion, Agent F. Start tomorrow. You're dismissed."_

* * *

It's too early in the morning when his phone vibrates on the bedside table, loud enough to wake him up even when he's under a mountain of pillows and two blankets in his king-size bed. He lets out a groan, and with the silence of his room he can hear it too loudly, but he's used to it so he just pulls his arm out of the mess that is his bed and reaches for his phone with his hand. It was easy to do, he always put it in the same position in the exact same place, a small talent of his that he appreciated as he used to be forgetful with almost everything when he focused too much on some project, on his big idea of the day. 

Having it in his hand, and with annoyance, he decided to sit with his back against the head of his bed, but still covered up to the neck with one of his covers, with only his head and arms coming out of it. 

The first thing he sees is the time, 7:45 am on a July 24th. He groans again, a little annoyed because it was also Saturday and he was supposed to be able to get up late, but what was done was done and he knew very well that he would not be able to sleep again even if it was the thing that he wanted the most in the world. 

Then, in his notification bar on his blocking screen there is an email. Without further thought, as he carved out his eyes with his free hand, he opened it:

_" **SUBJECT** : Permanent nemesis assignment. _

_Phineas Flynn._

_You have been assigned a new nemesis, who within one to four business days will begin working against you. Since you are classified as a Type S threat by the Agency's standards, OWCA and its North Division have assigned you an agent at your level and capable of stopping you. You will be working with the best agent of the new generation, Agent F, Ferb the Falcon..."_

Phineas stops his reading short as soon as he reads the name on his phone screen. It was more than obvious that it was _that_ Ferb, the brother he had been trying for years to completely block from his brain, but once again it seemed the universe was against him. 

Laughing practically out loud, because it was just _great_ , Phineas knows that in a few days things, for better or worse (for whom? he doesn't know), would get interesting. 

Getting out of bed, Phineas decided he had so much work to do. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment or kudos, the support helps a lot!
> 
> See ya the next millennium

**Author's Note:**

> Hope you enjoy this! It's gonna be a ride, don't forget to leave kudos and feedback!


End file.
